Seneca rancher rounds up second book of poetry

Reading Friday at Red Rooster

Reading Friday at Red Rooster

March 17, 2008|By Gretchen Mayer, gmayer@aberdeennews.com

Readers will get to hear a preview of Bruce Roseland's latest book, "A Prairie Prayer," 7 p.m. Friday at the Red Rooster Coffee House, 202 S. Main St. The book won't be available for purchase for about a month, but Roseland will be reading excerpts from the book of poetry. "A Prairie Prayer expands the descriptions of modern farm/ranch life with an appreciation for the past and a wry wit honed by the lonely winds of the prairie," states a press release. "In the opening pages of this second volume of poetry, Roseland acknowledges 'the men and women who earn their living from the soil. There is a bond among us all that stretches into eternity.'" This is the second effort for the fourth-generation Seneca rancher. His first book, "The Last Buffalo," published in 2006, earned the Western Heritage Wrangler Award from the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. Both books were published by the North Dakota Institute for Regional Studies in Fargo. "Prairie Prayer" will be sold at the Hitchin' Post and Little Professor Book Center in the Lakewood Mall and sells for $12. Illustrator for the new book is Marie Louise Tesch of Rapid City. "Bruce captures the feeling one gets from growing up under the wide-open skies of the prairie. You feel a connection to the land, the sky and the generations before," said Tesch. Both Roseland and Tesch are open to making public appearances, but caution that they can't interfere with his calving or her piano lesson. "They would be delighted to work with you, if it doesn't keep them from earning a regular living," states the press release. Roseland is currently working on his third book of poetry. Several writers will appear at the Red Rooster Friday, including Martin Avery of Aberdeen and Francie Davis of Frederick. There is no charge to attend the readings.